Flight For The Win
by Star Darkfall
Summary: A young black apprentice with red eyes and wings saves Treeclan and all the clans in the forest from a long curse that would have killed them otherwise. His crush on a certain young she-cat drives him to do things you'd never imagine.
1. Birth of the Winged

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Warriors. Nor am I in any way related to the three people that make up Erin Hunter!

Silversun looked out at the Treeclan camp and sighed, one new kit had been born the previous night but for some reason nobody was allowed to visit it. Even Grayheart the medicine cat had refused to let Brownstar in! Something was wrong. Wrong with the kit. All the information that Grayheart had given her was that the kit was black as the night and named Wingkit

In the nursery, the new mother stirred as she slept, and a tiny black kit mewed in the darkness and opened its eyes. They were red. The kit stood up and yawned, and then suddenly... two black long wings unfurled from his flanks and flapped lazily, and then they folded back up and Wingkit laid back down again, his eyes shrinking into red slits.

"Remember, Wingkit, you must NEVER unfurl your wings! NEVER! If you do, the other cats will be jealous and we wouldn't want that,  
would we?" Pawbright said as she led her son out of the nursery. This was Wingkits first venture out into the Treeclan camp, and everyone was waiting to see this mysterious kit. "No mother." Was Wingkits simple reply. They walked out into the camp, and all the cats stared. There wasn't anything special about this kit! But then the he opened his eyes.. Everyone gasped and shrunk away from the piercing red glance that Wingkit gave them. "This is Wingkit, my son." Pawbright said.

Another kit by the name of Thymekit came over to Wingkit and butted him playfully in the flanks. (Thymekit was born the day after Wingkit)  
Wingkit smiled and butted her back."Ok, we'll see you all later!" Pawbright called as she gently pushed her kit away. The other cats stared at eachother and then started to talk. "Did you see his eyes?!" "What about his fur color? You probably wouldn't be able to see him in the dark"  
"His eyes make me feel scared!" All the cats had something to say about him. Soon Brownstar said, "We must not meddle in their affairs. The kit is mysterious I'll admit, but leave them alone."

Two moons later, Thymekit tumbled into the nursery yowling. "Wingkit! Our apprentice ceremony is today!!" Her voice was happy and light. Wingkit woke up and stretched, his nap had been ruined... He had been dreaming that he was flying, flying as he had never done before. It was a wonderful dream, but he could never do that, all he could do was a few wingflaps before settling on the ground again.  
And of course he did this in secret. There was a small clearing far from Treeclan camp where he stretched out his wings and flew, but he couldn't really fly, like I said all he could do were a few beats before falling to the ground.

He had tried, but it was so hard! And then the robins and other birds would come out and show off their own wondrous flying skills. It was fun to watch them soar above the trees, but he always became lonely and would walk back to camp, furling his wings back tightly into his flanks... "Wingkit!? Are you even listening?" Thymekit sighed exasperatedly, apparently she had been talking while he had been daydreaming. "Oh..Yes.. Sorry. I was daydreaming.." "Well that's not unusual, come on, I think-" A loud yowl came from outside interrupting Thymekit.

"Let all the cats old enough to catch their own prey meet here under the Highstump!" It was Brownstar, calling a meeting. Thymekit froze, her face set in an expression of fear. Wingkit laughed and pushed her out of the nursery and out into the camp, they then made their way to the Highstump. All the cats were there, Brownstar was sitting on the Highstump next to Silversun, the clan deputy. "Ohh I'm scared!" Thymekit whispered. She shook silently with happiness and fright as Brownstar looked down at her, Wingkit, and another three kits called Spotkit, Leafkit, and Shinekit.

All of the gathered cats began to whisper as they saw Wingkit. "I tell you, he's not normal.. You can see that by his eyes!" But Wingkit didn't care. He just sat proudly as his mother Pawbright looked at him with the same sense of pride. Her eyes were becoming dim, Pawbright was becoming blind. But Wingkit and her didn't care, just as they didn't care what the other cats thought about them.

"Since many moons ago, we have not had any apprentices. So I ask Thymekit, Spotkit, Leafkit, Shinekit, and Wingkit to step forward.  
I, Brownstar, leader of Treeclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon these five kits. They would like to become Warriors of Treeclan, but first must become apprentices. Thymekit, please step forward. Until you have received your warrior name, you shall be known as Thymepaw, Flowerfur shall be your mentor. Spotkit, you shall be known as Spotpaw, Pawbright will be your mentor. Leafkit shall be known as Leafpaw, Stonecold will be your mentor, Shinekit shall be known as Shinepaw, I shall be your mentor. And lastly.. Wingkit shall be known as Wingpaw. Silversun shall be your mentor... This meeting is now over." Brownstar stopped to take a breath, and then walked over to each new apprentice and touched noses with them.


	2. Mentors and Mystery

Wingpaw shivered as Brownstar's cold nose touched his, and then bowed his head. Silversun padded over. "Your training will begin tomorrow, young one." She meowed. The apprentice blinked and nodded, and he ran over to his friends.

"Can you believe it!" Thymepaw meowed happily. "Flowerfur is the best! And Silversun isn't that bad either!" But Wingpaw frowned.

"Why did Brownstar assign most of the she-cats as mentors? Don't toms make good mentors too?" He meowed confusedly. Brownstar overheard him and padded over.

"We need the toms to protect the clan and the camp. Right now the she-cats have to learn as they train others and then perhaps we will be able to withstand an attack." She meowed. Thymepaw and Wingpaw fell silent as the leader talked to them. Finally Pawbright padded over to her son and the others.

"Wingpaw, you went to bed late last night. I want you to get some rest." Wingpaw blinked and nodded, silently walking into the apprentices den. The older apprentices were in there, including Lynxpaw, who usually bullied other apprentices or kits. Wingpaw swept past the group and went to the corner of the den, lying down in a nest of moss and putting his head on his paws. Thymepaw followed, holding her tail up haughtily as she passed Lynxpaw, who watched the beautiful brown she-cat out of the corner of his eye before laughing icily and whispering into Spotpaw's ear as he passed.

"If you, Shinepaw, or Wingpaw set a paw on that she-cat. You'll answer to me." Spotpaw skittered forwards nervously as he pretended not to hear. He lay down next to Thymepaw and Wingpaw.

"L-l-lynxpaw seems to l-like y-you." He stuttered quietly to Thymepaw. She tossed her furry brown head and replied.

"I don't care. He's a stupid fur-ball." She mewed. Wingpaw nodded, blinking. Spotpaw stared at Wingpaw's red eyes wonderingly and turned away quickly as the eyes shifted to look at him. Thymepaw set her head on her paws and fell asleep. Wingpaw curled up beside her and Spotpaw beside him. Shinepaw and Leafpaw came into the den and made a new nest a bit further away from the gang of bullies. They went to sleep beside eachother, breathing slowly as their dreams came upon them.

The next morning, Spotpaw padded outside and stretched, his whiskers quivering as he took in the scent of the morning. The sun was just rising and dewdrops were everywhere from the early morning frost. The High Stump shone in the new sunlight and Spotpaw yawned quietly as he walked over to the fresh-kill pile. Wingpaw was the next to appear, coming and taking a mouse off of the pile. His black fur soft and a bit muddy from the dust of the apprentices den and the dew drops of the morning. "I'm in the forest if Silversun is looking for me later." He meowed to Spotpaw, who nodded. Wingpaw bounded into the trees, his red eyes gleaming as he ran. He was going to his flying spot.

He soon reached the place where the trees made a clearing and the ground was covered in grass. A stream trickled down one side where the wildflowers bloomed. Wingpaw breathed in and smiled, unfurling his long black wings. They looked magnificent in the sunlight, a few drops of water on them and light rays refracting off of them. He flapped them once or twice and jumped into the air, swooping clumsily through the clearing. A raven flew past and sat in a tree, watching the apprentice keep attempting to fly and dropping back down sadly onto the ground. He churred slightly, cocking his head to one side. "That's not how you do it." He crowed, flapping his own wings experimentally. He jumped off of the tree and flew gracefully through the air towards Wingpaw, who watched amusedly as the raven showed off.


	3. A Fight With Friends

"Craaak! Come join me!" The raven cawed, swooping around Wingpaw. Wingpaw shook his head. "I don't know how…" He muttered, his eyes filled with regret. The raven chuckled again, and then landed on a stump, twitching his tail feathers. He looked Wingpaw straight in the eyes, and his own berry black eyes suddenly flashed with anger. "You're giving u-uppp!" He crowed, hissing and striking out with a wing. Wingpaw was hit in the face, and he stood up, growling. He prowled toward the raven. The raven, not noticing, ranted on. Wingpaw's black neck fur bristled with anger, and he leapt for the black bird. His razor sharp teeth met in the raven's throat, and the fresh tangy taste of blood and death hit him. The bird gave an irritated squawk of horror, and then fell dead to the ground.

Wingpaw growled, his red eyes now flashing with the feeling of success. "You're not just a stupid raven. You're my food." He picked up the dead bird and carried it off. Power surged through his body as he walked, and he seemed to swell slightly with pride. He had caught and killed the trouble. It would never bother him again. What if he could stop all of his problems like that? They would never come back to haunt him again! He stopped thinking as he entered the camp, and then padded over to the fresh-kill pile, placing the raven onto it. Black feathers littered the ground around it as he spat them out.

"Good catch." Thymepaw padded up behind him, purring with pride. She pressed her neck to his shoulder, and blinked. Wingpaw growled a word of thanks, and she took a step back, looking hurt. "You don't have to bite my head off." She mewed, clearly offended.

"You make me so mad I want to." Wingpaw shot back, his eyes suddenly blazing with anger. He snarled once at her and stalked off towards the apprentice den. He needed to clear his head.

Thymepaw's eyes filled with tears as she watched Wingpaw stalk off, her heart suddenly aching with hurt. How could he just push her aside like that? She sighed and wiped a tear away with her tail, and then stood up to look for her mentor. Maybe Poppyleaf would take her hunting, and she could get away from this place for a while.

Abruptly, Oakpaw padded over to Thymepaw. "Has he been hurting you?" He asked quietly, touching his tail tip to her shoulder in a comforting manner. She shook her head. "Not physically, but emotionally. I don't know what's wrong with him." She whined, a hint of defense flashing in her solemn eyes. Oakpaw nodded. "Just forget about him. Here, why don't you come hunt with me and Furypaw? We'd both enjoy some company." He offered, his own eyes shining warmly at her. She nodded and sniffed once. "Sure." She meowed, and they both turned to join Furypaw at the camp entrance. After a few seconds discussion, the three apprentices disappeared out into the forest.

Wingpaw stormed into the apprentices den, his black fur bristling with anger. "She has no right to try and think that she knows how I feel. Nobody knows what I feel. Nobody wants to help me, or even tries to!" He hissed wildly at himself, hating himself. Hating Thymepaw, and hating his life. He threw himself down into his nest, ignoring the pain that sprung into his left wing, and curled up into a ball. He pulled his tail around him, and closed his eyes, willing sleep to take over. His dreams were unsettled, and cries of pain and terror filled his mind. He cried out as pain circled his wings, and he tried to wake himself up. Nothing happened. He was stuck in the world of nightmares and terror…

The next morning, he awoke to find himself lying beside Spotpaw. The dappled brown apprentice was sleeping easily, his flank rising easily up and down. The warmth of his friend calmed Wingpaw slightly, and he sighed, resting his head on his paws. Suddenly, a voice hailed him from outside the den. It was Silversun, and she apparently wasn't very happy.

"Wingpaw! Get out here!" She meowed crossly, stamping a paw hard on the tough ground. Wingpaw slowly rose to his paws and slipped out of the den. "Yes?" He yawned and stretched, careful not to stretch his wings, even though they were aching from the way he had slept on them. Silversun's golden eyes blazed with anger. "I heard that you didn't bring anything back for the fresh-kill pile other than a dead raven. You should be doing better than that!" She growled, cuffing his cheek lightly. "I'm going to have to teach you more about hunting techniques, as it appears that yours aren't going very well." She sighed.

Wingpaw growled quietly and nodded. "As you wish…" He hissed.

Thymepaw padded out of the apprentices den, and walked right past the two cats. Wingpaw tried to meet her eyes as she padded past, but her eyes were focused right ahead, and she frostily ignored him. Silversun noticed this, and her whiskers twitched with amusement, but she went on. "Let's go."

"Already?" Wingpaw was hungry, and wanted to get something from the fresh-kill pile.

"Well, you didn't bring anything of use yesterday, so you won't eat until you do." Silversun meowed, already turning to head to the camp entrance. "So if you're hungry, we might as well get started." She mewed over her shoulder. She padded away, and the sunlight shone on her glossy silver coat. Wingpaw sighed and followed. This day was not going to get better.


	4. One New Friend

It was well past Sunhigh when Wingpaw finally made his way back into the Clan camp, a plump rabbit held firmly in his jaws, and a limp thrush held between his chin and his chest. His eyes flashed as he padded towards the fresh-kill pile and unloaded his catches, and he shook his fur out before turning around to look for his mentor. Silversun surfaced from the bushes a few moments later, carrying the rest of Wingpaw's catch in her jaws. A mouse and two robins were added to the fresh-kill pile, and then the deputy looked up, catching her apprentice's eye. "Good work today. You can take what you want out of the pile, and then get some rest. I expect you to be in good shape for the Gathering tonight." She meowed expectantly, narrowing her eyes at him in the bright sunlight.

The black apprentice nodded wordlessly and selected his mouse from the pile before bringing it over to the old long fallen tree trunk that served as the elder's hollow. He then flopped onto his side and closed his eyes, relishing the rare quiet moment. All day, Silversun had been badgering him to catch more, crouch more, think more, and be more. It was driving him _crazy_. Why couldn't she simply accept him for who he was and accept the fact that he wasn't perfect? _She_ definitely wasn't… He smirked as he recalled an earlier incident that day in which the silver warrior had leapt over a log to land in a puddle of mud. He opened his eyes, curious to see whether the deputy still had dark brown crusted fur on her belly, to find that she was gone. He sniffed haughtily and rolled over. Perhaps she had gone to talk to Brownstar and inform her of their days hunting, and of the patrol they'd done earlier.

Soft steps from behind him caused him to look over in alarm. Leafpaw stood before him, holding a wren in her mouth. "Mind if I join you?" She asked softly through her catch. Wingpaw blinked and thought for a moment before shrugging and smiling for a few seconds. "Sure."

"Thanks." She purred loudly, her friendly warm green eyes meeting his red ones. The black apprentice felt a small nudge of embarrassment and shook his head. "No problem." He beckoned for her to sit, and she did, dropping her prey in front of her paws. She leaned down and took a bite out of it. Feathers hit the ground as she chewed, and Wingpaw couldn't help but remember that he hadn't talked to her for a long time. He struggled to think of something to say, but she beat him to it.

"How's training? I've heard that Silversun is very impressed with your hunting ability. She says that you…" She paused and thought for a moment as if trying to recall the deputy's exact way of wording before continuing. "She says that you seem to soar through the air when you leap, and the way you simply snap down on their necks and pin them down makes her think that you will become an expert someday." She mewed, before taking another bite of her prey and chewing once more. In the silence, Wingpaw's heart gave a few louder quick beats of sudden fear. _Did Silversun know his secret?_ He was sure that he had hidden his wings well before leaving… Perhaps she had spotted his wings that time that he had caught the rabbit. It had been hard to chase, so when he had been almost sure that she was out of sight, he had let his wings out just a smidgeon to glide slightly over the grass and speed towards his prey.

Leafpaw seemed to notice his awkward silence and then meowed. "But no cat can fly, of course. I asked her, and she said that it was highly impossible for anything but a bird to fly." She rolled her eyes, not noticing Wingpaw shudder with relief. "I wish that I could fly, or actually see a cat that could. I guess it is impossible, but I can't help but believe that somewhere in the world, cats can fly…"

Wingpaw grinned, poking his muzzle into his paws. What Leafpaw didn't know was that she was sitting beside the almost only cat for sure in the world that could fly. He purred and lifted his head, his berry black eyes gleaming. "I'm sure you'll meet one someday. Believe in it, and you'll find that your dreams will come true." He meowed.

The pretty brown apprentice laughed, her eyes twinkling. "That's what I plan to do."

Suddenly, Wingpaw didn't feel so alone anymore. He felt his tenseness leave him, and he seemed to settle down and become calm. Leafpaw was so easy to talk to, he didn't mind being with her as much as he did being with Thymepaw and the others. She seemed to understand him, and she always seemed to start up conversations with subjects that he felt comfortable talking about. She was a really neat cat, that's for sure. He thought, watching her chatter on and on. He purred and let her voice wash over him.


	5. A Gathering, and A Mother's Love

That night, Wingpaw padded out of the apprentices den, his eyes wide with curiosity. He wondered who was coming to the Gathering, and what would happen. As he walked over to the group of cats at the entrance, he saw Lynxpaw chatting with Thymepaw, his eyes narrowed slyly as he talked. Thymepaw's tail was drooping onto the ground, and she answered in a slow uninterested tone of voice. As Wingpaw's footsteps sounded behind them, Thymepaw turned around. Her eyes immediately lit up, and she grinned in welcome. "Hey, Wingpaw!" She mewed excitedly, bouncing up and down. "Where've you been?"

"Sleeping." Wingpaw replied shortly. He didn't like the way that Lynxpaw was glaring at him, but Thymepaw didn't seem to notice. She purred and entwined her tail with his for a moment before stepping away. "Are you coming to the gathering too?" She asked, her eyes glowing with warmth.

The black apprentice nodded, his eyes narrowed slightly. "Yes. Who else is coming?" He asked, looking around. He saw Flowerfur, Silversun, Brownstar, Cougartooth, Mousefang, and Thornheart standing by the entrance, talking quietly.

"Oh, them and us, I believe. Brownstar's tightened up security on the camp for tonight, because we're going to be away. Leafpaw and Spotpaw are staying behind, because they didn't catch much today." She meowed, rolling her eyes. Wingpaw growled, his eyes flashing with suspicion. "Leafpaw caught more than I did today, and I caught a lot."

Thymepaw took a step back, her eyes sparking with apprehension. "Sorry, but that's what Flowerfur told us."

Wingpaw growled. There it was. The dreaded _us_. Now Lynxpaw was starting to bare his fangs at Wingpaw from behind Thymepaw, his eyes flashing with hatred. He took a step forward. "Come on, Thymepaw. They'll leave us behind if we're not careful." He cautioned her, narrowing his eyes.

"Oh, right…" Thymepaw nodded and followed Lynxpaw towards the warriors. Silversun turned to see Wingpaw and flicked her tail, beckoning him over. He obediently ran over to her, and, before she could say anything, he asked. "Couldn't we leave Lynxpaw and Thymepaw here? I think that they're stronger than Spotpaw and Leafpaw, and if we left them guarding the camp, I'm sure the camp would be a lot safer."

Silversun narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but nodded seriously, thinking. "Maybe you're right. I'll talk to Brownstar." She meowed. She padded over to the dark brown leader and engaged her in quiet conversation, her eyes glowing with thought. _Great_, thought Wingpaw. _One for me, zero for Lynxpaw…_

That morning, the forest was shrouded with light grey-blue fog, and the atmosphere was still and quiet, as if the entire forest was waiting, expecting something to happen. Wingpaw opened his red eyes into slits, and carefully edged away from Leafpaw's curled up sleeping form. He didn't want to wake her so early in the morning. He stood, and ignoring the longing to stretch his wings, made his way out into the still camp. The impenetrable fog had made it hard to see, and as he looked upwards, he could just barely see the treetops above. They seemed to loom over him, looking like shadowed pine mountains, and he suddenly purred, feeling calm. As long as he could see the tops of the trees, he felt at home. Something was going to happen. He could feel it. He felt a purr of laughter escape him as he recalled the incident that had occurred the night before, on their way to the gathering. As he had suggested, Brownstar had left Thymepaw and Lynxpaw at camp, and had brought Spotpaw and Leafpaw instead. That had been great, and feeling Lynxpaw's jealous eyes on his back had made him laugh with exhilaration.

"Wingpaw?" Pawbright's cream coloured head poked out from behind the bracken bush that sheltered the nursery. As she spotted her son, she loped gracefully out towards him, purring a greeting. "Good morning."

"Good morning, mother." He replied, smiling warmly at her. He let her sniff him over before inquiring. "How are you doing? Are you eating well?"

She smiled at him, her whiskers twitching with amusement.

"I'm well, and eating. You know I have to, what with your siblings coming soon." She purred.

Wingpaw nodded. He had heard that his mother was pregnant once more, and was thrilled. He had no curiosity as to know the father, however, as he had never known his own, and had never been in real need of one. He flicked his tail back and forth. He wanted to ask whether she knew how many siblings he would have, but he didn't want to be or seem too impatient. His mother, as he remembered, didn't like to be pressured or pushed. Pawbright looked around and then murmured. "Can you fly yet? I've always been so eager to see! How big are your wings now?" Her eyes gleamed with excitement, and Wingpaw felt his heart skip a beat.

"Y-yes, I can. Look, I'll show you!" Quickly turning around in a full circle to see if any cat was out of the dens yet other than him and his mother, he looked at Pawbright and meowed. "Come with me. We'd better get out of sight of the camp. I don't want to be seen."

Pawbright nodded, her eyes twinkling. She followed her son out of camp, and towards the small clearing where he always practiced his flying, and where he had caught and killed the nuisance raven a moon before. As Pawbright peered around the clearing, she saw her son leap onto the stump in the middle, and unfurl his wings, which had actually grown outwards into handsome black furred wings. He flapped them experimentally once, twice, thrice, and then looked down at his mother. He was startled to see tears in her eyes. "Mother, are you alright?" His red eyes flashed with concern.

The cream coloured she-cat nodded, sniffing once. She seemed to steel herself, and then meowed. "Show me what you can do, my son."

At once, Wingpaw leapt into the air, flapping his wings and giving a loud exhilarated yowl of joy. His heart seemed to lift as he soared into nothingness. He rose into the air, flying through the fog. His paws were left to dangle as they left the base of the tree trunk, and he spiralled up, up, up, into the sky. By this time, he could barely see a thing, and was sure that his mother couldn't see him either, so he dove down until he could see her leaping from side to side, happiness sparkling in her eyes. She was so proud of her young son. As the black apprentice landed once more on the tree stump, she bounded up to him, purring loudly. She seemed to glow with happiness, and covered her son in loving affectionate licks. "That was brilliant! StarClan has surely blessed you, Wingpaw." She mewed, flicking her ears.

Wingpaw purred, and he opened his eyes to stare into hers. "Thanks, mother."

The two then turned, and began to pad back towards camp, Pawbright chattering excitedly about how proud she was of him, and how well he had done. She grew quiet as they reached the camp, and then stopped talking fully once they padded into the well hidden entrance. They found the camp all awake and bustling around busily, exchanging words of greeting or farewell, or simply sharing tongues and bringing prey to the fresh-kill pile. Wingpaw spotted Leafpaw exiting the apprentices den, and bade his mother goodbye before making his way towards her. "Hello, Leafpaw!" He meowed. The pretty light brown apprentice turned to meet his gaze, and gave a small smile of welcome, waving her tail. She padded forward to meet him, and meowed. "You must have been up early this morning. I couldn't find you!"

"Sorry, I was out with my mother." He apologized, falling into step beside her as she continued to walk onwards. "Did I miss anything?"

Leafpaw shook her head. "Nope, you didn't."

(Big whoop.)


End file.
